Catalogue description Court of King's Bench: Plea Side: Cedule Files

Term files of notes of those committed to bail, principally in cases initiated by bill. No such notes survive before 1514, but there must have been earlier ones which may not have been systematically kept, because the early files include a number of bails in cases initiated by writ as well as the more numerous bill cases. The formula 'per recognicionem' distinguishes real from fictitious bails, with common bails coming to act merely as a record of an appearance having been made. Special bails were removed into a separate series of files (KB 158) at Michaelmas 1572. Bails in writ cases almost disappear, but the files become much larger. In the 1570s the files have covers, but in 1593 they were abandoned except for square labels, which did not have a term date written on them until 1605. The abandonment of covers made the files more vulnerable to damage, and many subsequent ones have fallen apart. The last cover labelled 'Cedule Communes' is from 1591, and the title of the file was regularly 'Baillia Communia' from 1607. Files after 1661 have been destroyed under schedule. The bails are filed in precise date order, and within those dates by alphabetical order of attorneys' names.

See also Cedule per Recogniciones files in: KB 158

Docket rolls of common bails exist from 1588 to 1614 in KB 162